Culture device



May 24, 1938. H. T. PRESCOTT CULTURE DEVICE Filed Oct. 26, 1934 I will W, In!

AM] W Patented May 24, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CULTURE DEVICE Henry T. Prescott, Chicago, Ill.

Application October 26, 1934, Serial No. 750,123

1 Claim.

This invention relates to culture devices and more particularly to devices for the culture of the hands and/or mouth.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved culture device.

A further object is to provide a device adapted to culture organs of the human body such as the hands or mouth and portions of the body associated therewith.

A further object is to provide a device which will enable players of musical instruments properly to culture their fingers and associated portions in a surprisingly short length of time.

A further object is to provide a device which will enable players of musical wind instruments properly to culture their lips and associated portions and adapt them to the mouthpieces of their instruments in a surprisingly short length of time.

A further object is to provide a device which will enable a player of musical wind instruments to culture his hands and mouth and the portions of his body associated therewith to obtain better coordination and control of these organs to obtain an improved and more artistic execution when playing such instruments.

A further object is to provide a device which will enable persons to culture their fingers and associated portions of their bodies for various business and industrial operations, such as typewriting, linotype setting, operating comptometers, adding machines, billing machines, etc.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the following detailed description of the Various embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a form of the novel device of this invention, particularly adapted for the culture of the fingers and lips and associated portions of the body of players of saxaphones, clarinets and other similar musical wind instruments employing reeds;

Fig. 2 is a side view partly in section of another embodiment of the invention particularly adapted for the culture of the fingers and associated portions of the bodies of players of cornets, bass horns, French horns or similar musical wind instruments.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the device shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side view partly in section of an embodiment of the invention similar to that shown in Fig. 1, but one which is particularly adapted for the culture of those portions of the body associated with the fingers which are antagonistic in their action with respect to those portions which are cultured by the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention which is particularly adapted for the culture of the fingers and associated portions of the body of a player of musical string instruments, such as violins, banjos, guitars, mandolins, ukeleles, or similar musical instruments.

Fig. 6 shows a side View of a further embodiment of the invention which is particularly adapted for the culture of the fingers, thumb and associated portions of the body of a player of pianos, concertinas, accordions or similar musical instruments, or by operators of business or industrial machines.

Fig. 7 is an end view of the device shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawing and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 4, the novel device is comprised in general of a body member I provided throughout its major portion with a plurality of finger culturing means 2 or 29 corresponding to the number of fingers to be cultured. The body member I is also provided with means 3 at one end for receiving the usual mouthpiece 4 of the particular musical instrument in conjunction with which the novel device is to be used as a culturing means.

The body member I may be made of wood or any suitable moulded composition, hard rubber, or the like. If it is made of wood, the necessary chambers 5 and air relief vents 6 for the finger culturing means 2 or 20 are bored out. However, if the body member I is to be moulded,

then these chambers 5 and relief vents 6 can be advantageously formed during the moulding process by the use of a single integral core member as will be clearly understood by those skilled in the moulding art. A bore I and a high resistance air channel 8 which adapts the mouthpiece I as a mouth culturing device, as well as a recess 9 in the neck portion ID of the body member I also may be formed advantageously during the moulding operation. If the body member I is made of wood, then the bore 1 and channel 8 will be drilled out and the recess 9 formed by turning the neck portion III on a lathe.

The finger culturing means 2 shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and 5 to 7, are all of the same general construction illustrated in Fig. 2. These means 2 include a cylindrical tube II, completely open at its upper end and closed at its lower end except for a small aperture I2 which registers with the air relief vent 6. A strong spring I3 is provided within the tube II and loads a plunger I4 which is preferably constructed with an air-tight fit in the tube II. This plunger I 4 is suitably secured, as by a screw thread, with a rod I5 provided at its upper extremity with a finger receiving key I6.

A common plate I1 is suitably secured to the body member I as by screws I8. This plate II closes the top ends of the cylindrical tubes II and is provided with a plurality of apertures I9 through which the rods I5 pass. Bearing members 20 are preferably provided on said plate I I at the apertures I9. These bearing members 20 may be soldered, welded or otherwise suitably secured to the plate I! and are each provided with an aperture 2I registering with a corresponding aperture I9 of the plate I "I.

While the parts of the finger culturing means described above may be made of various materials, it has been found that it is particularly advantageous to form the parts which move relative to each other of unlike metals, not only for the reason well known in mechanics, but to obtain frictional characteristics conducive to the production of the desired high resistance for proper finger culture without undesirable binding of said moving parts. For example, it has been found advantageous to make the tube I I, plate II, and bearing members 28 of brass, while the rods I5 and plungers I4 are made of steel.

The above mentioned structure when made in the form shown in Fig. 1 is particularly adapted for the culture of the mouth, hands and asso ciated portions of the body of a player of such musical instruments as the saxophone, clarinet, oboe, etc.

The high resistance air channel 8 converts the players ordinary mouthpiece of his musical instrument into an ideal mouth culture device. It produces sufficient resistance to make the muscles associated with the players lips receive the proper concentrated exercise to strengthen them and readily conform the lips to the shape of the mouthpiece. When the mouthpiece is used on the musical instrument with which it is ordinarily associated, its resistance is so low that the beneficial exercise of these muscles and the desired conformance of the lips to the mouthpiece is practically impossible of attainment even under long and tedious hours of practice. With the novel culture device described above, the desired results can be attained within a remarkably short length of time by the use of the culture device in conjunction with the usual practice periods on the musical instrument.

The keys 2 provide similar high resistance means for exercising and thereby strengthening the muscles associated with the fingers of the player. These high resistance means also serve to train the players nervous system. to obtain the proper control of the muscles for moving the fingers. These beneficial results are also not attainable by practice on the musical instrument because of the almost entire lack of resistance in the keys of such an instrument. The novel culture device makes it possible to attain the desired finger culture by simply using the device a short time during the usual practice periods.

An important function of the combined hand or finger culture means and mouth or lip culture means is to coordinate the control by the nervous system of the various muscles associated with these organs to such an extent that these muscles will be able to move said organs without requiring thought.

The importance of this function can be appreciated when it is recalled that there are nearly thirty muscles for moving the fingers of each hand and that these muscles as well as the muscles associated with the mouth are voluntary muscles or muscles governed by the brain.

In Fig. 2 a further embodiment of the invention is shown which is particularly adapted for the proper culture of the handsof a cornet player. The body member 22 is rounded at each end and made of such a length as to accommodate one hand of the player in a manner simulating the usual relationship of the hand in grasping the cornet for supporting the same. The bottom of the body member 22 accommodates the thumb of the players other hand and the finger culturing means 2, the first, second and third fingers of the same hand. Obviously the number of high resistance finger culture means 2 can be varied to correspond with the number of keys on the particular musical instrument With which the novel device is to be associated.

In the proper execution of any musical instrument the antagonistic action of muscles plays a very important role. In other Words, our muscles can only move our organs by contraction. Obviously, therefore, if part of the body is to be moved back and forth, it must have a muscle to pull it each way. The pairs of such opposed muscles found throughout the body are termed antagonistic muscles. This arrangement of muscles is important in that it makes possible accuracy of motions. It is well known that without exercise, muscles become weak and soft and ineffective in moving or controlling the movement of associated organs. From this the importance of the provision of the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 4 will be appreciated. This embodiment is of the same general construction as the embodiment shown in Fig, 1 except that it is arranged to culture the muscles and associated parts of the nervous system which are antagonistic in their action to the muscles used in conjunction with the culture device shown in Fig. 1.

In this embodiment the spring I3 is arranged between the plate I1 and a modified type of plunger 23 provided with air vent channels therethrough. Instead of a rod and key arrangement as shown in Fig. 2, a rod 26 having a hookshaped top extremity or loop 25 is provided to to the tube 5 and the air vents 24 and 6 sufficiently small, the spring I3 may be eliminated and the required high resistance obtained in both directions of movement. Such an arrangement will properly culture antagonistic muscles and the portions of the nervous system associated therewith.

In Fig. 5 a modification of the hand or finger culturing device is shown which is particularly adapted. for players of string instruments. In this embodiment the body member 27 is of a size and shape generally simulating that of the musical instrument with which it is to be associated. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, the one extremity 29 of the body member 21 may be formed to simulate the usual chin rest of the violin While the other extremity 28 is formed to simulate the scroll of the violin. The finger culture means 2 are preferably arranged diagonally across the closing plate I 'l as shown in Fig. 5. This arrangement tends to equalize the strengthening of the muscles of the fingers. In other words the fourth or smallest finger is given the most difiicult task since it is the finger which is the most difficult to move and properly control while the remaining fingers are given in order a less difficult task.

In. Figs. 6 and 7 an embodiment is illustrated which is particularly adapted to culture the thumb and four fingers of each hand. The hand culture means 2 of this device may be of the same general construction described in connection with the embodiment shown in Fig. 2. The body member is formed of two portions: a substantially vertical central portion 3| housing the culture means 2 and a substantially horizontal portion 30 extendin laterally therefrom to form a base portion for supporting the vertical portion 3| on a table or similar support.

This particular device is useful as a culture device for the hands of musicians who play instruments such as the piano, concertina, accordion, harp, etc. It is also useful to culture the hands of workers for various industrial operations involved in modern machinery or to culture the hands of operators of modern business devices, such as typewriters, comptometers, adding machines, stenotype machines, etc.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein in detail, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that these are merely convenient and useful forms of the invention which is capable of many other modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a culture device for users of finger operated devices, finger culturing means comprising a body member, said body member having a plurality of chambers, a tube lining each of said chambers, each of said chambers having an air vent of relatively small cross-sectional area connected with each said chamber, a common plate closing one end of said chamber and having apertures therethrough, said apertures being arranged concentrically with respect to the chambers, means passing through said apertures and engageable with v the fingers of the hands to be cultured, and means within the chamber adapted to resist movement to a predetermined amount, said last mentioned means being operable by the fingers of the hands to be cultured.

HENRY T. PRESCOTT. 

